Cessna A185F N7574N

Summary

On 6 September 2021 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N7574N was involved in an accident near Kingsley, Iowa, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 September 2021 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Kingsley, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

42.5893, -95.8782

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N7574N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wisconsin Rapids → Sioux City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA406

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of an unsecured fuel bladder, which reduced the fuel capacity of the affected tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that before departing on a cross-country flight, he added 42 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel, which appeared to fill both inboard wing fuel tanks. He calculated a 17-gallon-per-hour fuel burn for the 2 hour and 45-minute flight. While in cruise flight, about 2.5 hours after departure, a total loss of engine power occurred. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, and he executed a forced landing to a corn field, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. Postaccident examination revealed that both left and right fuel tanks were intact. The fuel filler necks and collars were removed from both wings for internal inspection of the rubberized, bladder fuel cells. The cell from the left tank exhibited minor wrinkling, but overall was still attached to the cell’s snaps and fittings. When the right cell was examined, it was discovered to be unsecured from the outboard and aft edges with the cell folded and wrinkled inboard to the outboard fuel filler neck. The investigation was unable to determine the extent to which the loose fuel cell bladders would have affected actual fuel quantity and unusable fuel. However, given the lack of malfunctions or anomalies noted during the examination and the lack of fuel present in the gascolator, it is likely that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.